


Scattering Stars Like Dust

by hesterbyrde



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Hand Jobs, Kissing, M/M, No Spoilers, Pre-Rogue One, Star Wars - Freeform, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:17:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9432341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hesterbyrde/pseuds/hesterbyrde
Summary: Two years before the events of Rogue One, Galen Erso is hard at work devising a plan to weaken the Death Star. He is joined on the Eadu Research Station by Adam Raki, a brilliant navigation specialist. A relationship is born from their abiding loneliness, their passion for science, and their belief that the stars are for everyone.





	1. Spinning Out of Nothingness

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Welcome to my offering for Hannibal Cre-Ate-ive's #HannibalOdyssey! 
> 
> I come bearing a sort of experimental pairing... Galen Erso (Rogue One) and Adam Raki (Adam). I say it's experimental because for one thing, I haven't seen this pairing before so I may well be one of the first, if not the first, to write it. And also because I've never seen the movie Adam, and while I've seen all of the Star Wars movies except Episode III, it's just never really been my thing. Mad respect to it and all its fans, but I've just never gotten into it. So! Please expect some errors in continuity, and general understanding. I hope none are so egregious as to prevent anyone from enjoying the fic.
> 
> It is set in the Star Wars universe before the events of Rogue One, and doesn't contain any really serious spoilers.
> 
> The fic and chapter titles are all taken from the works of Jalal al-Din Rumi.
> 
> Enjoy!

***

"We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust." - Rumi

***

Eadu, two years prior to the destruction of the Death Star.

Galen Erso stood facing the mirror, checking his Imperial researcher uniform for the final time. He looked every inch the distinguished, loyal scientist he had spent the last decade pretending to be. He remembered, nauseatingly, that once upon a time he had been pleased to wear this uniform, the pleasant weight of its decorations a reminder of how far he'd come in his life and how much further he could light the way in the name of science and the Empire. 

But now the collar chafed, and the medals felt cold and cheap under his hand as he straightened them. The facade was now little more a hollow shell, held up only by the desperate hope that he might be able to somehow throw the proverbial wrench in Tarkin's plans. He just hadn't worked out how yet. 

For years he'd contented himself to merely bog things down while he came up with a solution. Messy notes. Circuitous math. Insisting that tests be done multiple ways before he was satisfied. But the time was fast approaching when he would have to lay the plans for the superweapon at Orson Krennic's feet, and he still hadn't come up with a plan beyond the vague idea of a hidden weakness in the power structure. But that would have to be triggered by someone… either within or without, and Galen simply didn't have the resources to enlist that kind of aid. Especially since the crew for this weapon were a matter of utmost secrecy, and being trained far away from the research and construction. And so Galen languished at a dead end. 

"Attention senior officers." a thin voice crackled across the station-wide intercom. "The transport of Imperial Applied Science and Research recruits will be landing at docking bay A3 in five minutes. Your prompt arrival is appreciated."

Galen sniffed, feeling his lip twitch as it often did when he was irritated or anticipating an aggravating setback. Then with a shake of his head and a last glance in the mirror, he marched himself down the hall towards the docking bays. 

By the time Galen arrived at bay A3, the new recruits were just beginning to disembark. It was a rare clear day on Eadu and the sun was actually shining through a thin film of clouds, so the recruits lined up by the shuttle. They looked every inch the bright future of the Empire in their monochrome uniforms, some of which were already sparsely decorated with shining bars of metal.

And of course, Orson Krennic was there, resplendent in his white Imperial Intelligence uniform. He swanned about the platform appearing to inspect the recruits as they lined up. It was all for show, Galen knew. Before bringing them to a place like the research station on Eadu, Krennic would already have known everything about them, down to the number of hairs on each of their heads. And those of their mothers and fathers too, no doubt. 

"Dr. Erso!" Krennic crowed with mock formality when Galen stepped into view.

Galen put on his best pleased, placated smile. "Lieutenant Commander Krennic. Always a pleasure."

"How goes your research, Dr. Erso? I'm eager for an update, and so are my superiors." Krennic smarmed.

Galen gave a small, self-deprecating smile. "It goes slowly as ever, I'm afraid. Mapping kyber matrices is painstaking work. And just when I think I've discovered a pattern that can speed the process along, the next sequence is completely unlike what I was expecting. I presume you've brought me the best and brightest in the Empire to help me unravel its secrets?"

Krennic smiled tightly. "The best and brightest certainly, but I don't know that I have anyone for the weapons division. Most of these recruits are for Corporal Japla in Security." He jerked his thumb at the woman standing on the platform nearby, looking much like a gaunt bird of prey in her jet black security officer uniform.

"I see." Galen managed around the knot in his throat. He had hoped perhaps one of these new recruits might offer him a chance. An idea. Something to help him plan his sabotage. He could feel his window of opportunity slipping closed, and he fought not to show it on his face. Krennic had always said he was a terrible liar. But Krennic was currently distracted with swaggering and scaring the new recruits. Some of them didn't even look old enough to shave yet, let alone work as security for a top secret weapons laboratory.

"You said most of the recruits were security. But not all of them?"

Krennic shook his head. "No, not all of them. Look sharp!" he barked at the recruits, making them jump. It was quite glaringly evident in that instant who had gone to school in one of the Empire's military academies and who had not. "This is Corporal Japla, Imperial Security. And Dr. Galen Erso, head of Scientific Research on this station. We'll go in order. State your name, where you attended classes for the Imperial Applied Science and Research Institute, and your specialty. You first."

Krennic pointed a black gloved hand at the first young man in line, who, up until that point had stared unblinking at the Imperial transport ship at the next docking bay over. Unlike the majority of his fellows, he didn't wear a uniform, but was dressed in very clean and coordinated civilian clothes, with a well worn knapsack at his feet. He couldn't have been much older than his mid twenties, but it was difficult to tell. He had an ageless quality about him.

"Excuse me." Krennic barked, snapping his fingers and making the man shrink back. "Name, academy affiliation, and specialty."

He jumped like a startled cat, flinching back from Krennic's outstretched arm. "Um… um…" the man stammered, blue eyes darting restlessly around. He'd begun to rock back and forth on his heels as he forced his lips to recite the information. Though the words ran together, it was clear to Galen that he had practiced this exchange. "A-Adam Raki. I studied on Corellia and then Coruscant. I… I specialize in interstellar navigation, engine construction, w-warp drive technology, and-"

"Alright, that's enough." Krennic cut him off with a flippant wave of his hand. "Next."

The recruit stepped forward, cleanly and concisely gave his information. Then the next, and the next. But Galen's eyes never left the young man who cowered at the front of the line. Despite his tremulous and agitated appearance, his gaze had once again fallen on the shuttle in the next docking bay. He watched with rapt attention as the last of its cargo was secured and it took off, flying towards the horizon. He seemed blissfully oblivious to all else around him. Even Krennic's barking.

And Galen realized that he hadn't been listening either.

"Well, as I said," Krennic said, snapping Galen back to the matter at hand. Most of the recruits were falling in behind Corporal Japla as she led them into the station. "Not much for you in this batch I'm afraid."

"What about that young man?" he nodded to Adam, who was still squinting at the freighter as it disappeared into the heavy clouds. "The navigations and engineering specialist."

Krennic snorted, and turned a shoulder so that he could address Galen with some privacy. "Don't worry about him. I brought him as a favor for an associate of mine. It's a complicated matter. His father was a pilot on Corellia, but had a nasty run in with some smugglers. Left the boy to be raised by his business partner, who does a great deal of transport of sensitive goods for the Empire. He wants this young man to have a good, secure position. Some place he'll stay out of trouble and more importantly won't be any trouble. They've been a great help to me in procuring the necessary materials for your research, so I thought I'd return the favor. I'm probably just going to dump him off at a repair station for some of the capital ships. Should keep him occupied."

"But he… he has such an education." Galen pointed out, looking over Krennic's shoulder at Adam whose attention had shifted to the ship he'd arrived in. He trailed his slim fingers along one of the stabilizers, discovering a loose screw and tightening it back into place by hand. "That would be a waste of his skills. Leave him here on Eadu with me."

"What the hell do you need him for? You're building a weapon, Galen. Not a pleasure cruiser."

"A weapon that has to travel long distances very quickly and covertly." Galen pointed out. "Likely the warp drive, main engines… all of that will need to be tied to the kyber crystal lattice if it's to be at all elegant in function. Otherwise you'll have to have two sources of fuel. Which will mean two weaknesses in your supply chain for this weapon. It will be an increased expense and a security risk. The kyber crystals are already difficult enough to procure as it is."

"So what. You want this kid to build your transport for you?"

"Someone's going to have to. It will be a custom job. Nothing like it in all of space. I know everything there is to know about kyber crystals and how to draw power from them, but I know nothing about engines. Or warp drives. Or navigations systems. And neither does anyone else on my team."

Krennic's mouth thinned as he thought. "He's a handful." he warned. "Likes structure. Routine. Gets antsy without it. And doesn't do well with people."

"I can see that." Galen conceded, still looking at Adam, lost in his own world with the Imperial shuttle. "But where else in the Empire will he find more structure and routine than in an Imperial military science facility? And he'll… he'll get used to the few of us there are. There's only six other people on my team, and likely they won't be working with him. It will be only me."

Krennic sighed and tossed up a hand. "Fine. Have it your way. But don't let this charity case slow your progress. You're already behind schedule."

"Hopefully, with Adam's expertise, we can make up for lost time." Galen said, doing his best to summon what he hoped was a prize-winning smile.

Krennic only nodded. "Raki! Grab your stuff. You're going to be staying with Dr. Erso for awhile."

"Y… yes sir." he said, scooping up the pack at his feet and moving uneasily towards Galen. Adam was halfway across the platform when the shuttle began to fire its engines and pull away from the station. He turned and watched it go with the same unbroken focus as he'd watched the freighter pull away from the dock. 

When it had sailed out of sight, he turned to Galen. "I'm… sorry. I… I've studied all these ships in my books, but I haven't actually seen some of them in flight before. It's very different."

"I imagine so." Galen responded, feeling a small smile creep into his features.

"And loud." he said, scrunching up his face "I… I thought I wanted to work in a repair dock. That's where Orson was going to drop me off to work. But… I think I wouldn't like how loud it is. It's not like the hanger my father flew out of."

Galen blinked at Adam's use of Krennic's first name. It was strange to hear it out of another person's mouth other than his own, or Lyra's. But that fact was less strange than the fact that Adam had yet to look anyone in the eye since his arrival. His gaze always stayed just off center.

"I'm Dr. Galen Erso, head of the Science division here on Eadu." He put out his hand.

Adam stared at it for a minute, almost as if he were looking for whatever invisible thing Galen was offering, but after a split second he recognized the gesture and slipped his hand into Galen's grasp. "Adam Raki." he replied, withdrawing his hand quickly, but not coldly. "I've… I've heard of you. You won the Kuat Systems Engineering medal. I saw your name on a plaque in the Corellian campus."

"I did indeed." Galen said, feeling a small amount of very uncharacteristic pride as he pointed out the medal pinned to his chest. "You must have an excellent memory."

Adam peered at it and gave a beaming smile. "I do. So are you building ships? Or are you working on some sort of new navigation technology?"

"Neither I'm afraid." Galen directed Adam through the dock doors and into the facility. "I specialize in… shall we say unorthodox power sources. An interstellar weapons system that I'm building has one of these power sources, and I'd like to couple the warp drive and navigation to it. Can you do that?"

Adam's face hunkered down into a thoughtful frown. "I think so. I've re-routed power on ships before. Can I have a look at your schematics and-"

"Well, let's get you to your quarters first." Galen said, trying and failing to suppress a smile at Adam's eagerness to get started.. "I imagine you might want to change clothes?"

Adam shook his head as they rounded a corner. "I'll need to wash everything first. It… It kept getting handled and searched and passed around and stepped on while we were traveling. I'll have to re-sort and-" He looked up at Galen with wide eyes. "I get agitated when people leave things in disarray. Especially my things."

"Yes, Lt. Commander Krennic mentioned you liked a certain amount of routine."

Adam nodded. "It's just that… I guess I should just go ahead and tell you. Because if it's a problem I want to know now so… so I'll just find somewhere else."

Galen stopped walking and frowned, waiting for Adam to continue.

Adam wet his lips, making every attempt to look Galen in the face. "I have a condition and the doctor on Corellia called it Asperger's Syndrome. Have… have you heard of it?"

Galen wracked his brain but ultimately shook his head.

"It's just… I don't function well when I don't know what to expect. I… I don't pick up on social cues well. I'm most comfortable when I can stick to a predictable schedule. I like my working and living spaces to… to have a certain order. I have… have weird eating habits. It's just… a lot of people find me a nuisance."

Galen's frown deepened. "Who told you that you were a nuisance?"

Adam's gaze almost made it up to Galen's face, his bright blue eyes uncertain and stormy. "Orson." he said softly. "He… he never said it to me. But I heard him talking to Harlan. He was my father's partner. I know Harlan doesn't think I'm a nuisance, but… well Orson wouldn't be the first."

Galen snorted with derision. "Yes, well. A law of the universe is people most often magnify the flaws in others to avoid looking at their own. I think you'll find this very true of Lt. Commander Krennic." 

Adam gave a vague nod, but didn't seem convinced. 

Galen went to put a hand on the young man's shoulder but thought better of it. "If it's predictability and routine you like, then you're in the right place. You'll have your own personal space in the dormitories and in the lab.You'll even have your own work table that you can organize exactly as you like. And as for routine, on Eadu the weather is always the same. The food in the mess is always the same. And the days are nearly always the same unless you're on R and R. I'm happy to let you set your own work hours, provided we have some overlap to work on integration. Personally, the tediousness can make me a little crazy, so whenever the weather's clear, I try to get outside for some fresh air." Galen reached out and stopped a passing janitorial droid. "Are any of the quarters in this wing unoccupied?"

"Yes, Dr. Erso." the synthetic voice chirped back. "Rooms A 15, A28, and AA 5 are all without tenants." 

"Please inform the dormitory clerk that room AA5 is being taken by Adam Raki, who will be joining my research team. Tell them to send up a key and paperwork as soon as possible." Galen gave the droid a stiff nod of dismissal and it sped off down the hall. "AA5. It's upstairs, but it's closer to the communal bathrooms. This way. We'll take care of all the paperwork formalities tomorrow."

Adam nodded and trotted after him.

***


	2. I Have Been a Seeker

***

"I have been a seeker and still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my soul." - Rumi

***

After a few mildly anxious days spent settling in, Adam did find the rhythm and routine of the research station to his liking. He could arrange his room exactly to his liking. And then rearrange it as many times as he needed to until he was satisfied. And the station was laid out in a logical manner that made it easy to learn and navigate, making the abrupt adaptation to his new surroundings somewhat less traumatic. And true to his word, Dr. Erso had allowed Adam to set his own work schedule. He even made sure Adam's desk was furnished with a log that kept him updated with the station's schedule, as well as any departmental meetings.

And so, Adam's new routine formed quickly over the following few weeks. 

He discovered what food he liked and didn't like in the mess hall. Thankfully, it was more of the former than the latter. And many of the station's residents were too enthralled in their own work to make much note of the fact that he ate the same thing every day. Many of them did as well, hunkered over charts and pouring over data. It was refreshing to not stand out for once.

Adam learned to pay careful attention to when the bathrooms would be most unoccupied so he could shower with some privacy. This led to the eventual fact that he often showered and did his laundry very late at night, but avoiding the anxiety of interacting with strangers was worth it. 

The lab too was a place of solace. The other engineers were friendly, but kept to themselves. And workspace was ample, and Adam was provided with everything he needed. The only point of frustration for Adam was that Dr. Erso's notes and equations were often messy, and only partially complete. It was as if his brain worked faster than his hands could write. Adam, by contrast, had always been fastidious in his data compiling and presentation. But clarification rarely required more than a brief question to Dr. Erso, or sometimes even just a note left on his desk. And he had always been happy to provide the missing details along with a meek apology.

Adam found it very easy to lose himself in his work in that environment. Dr. Erso was precisely the kind of mentor and boss he needed. Despite his rather scattered methods regarding his own work, when it came to Adam he was by turns very clear about his specifications and generous with time on the simulators and with the samples. Adam was allowed to run tests and gather data on the crystals to his heart's content.

And the power source was fascinating.

"Kyber crystals? Really?" Adam had asked, peering into one of the experimentation tubes that housed their samples of the milky white mineral. "I thought they were just… legends. The Jedi in the stories my dad would tell… they used these in their lightsabers."

Galen shrugged. "Myths and legends shouldn't be cast aside just because what they give us is unquantifiable." 

Adam frowned. "Unquantifiable for now. That's what you're working on." He held up Galen's hastily scrawled and unfinished notes.

"It is." Galen confirmed with not quite a smile. "Come. Let's go have lunch. Can't map crystal lattices on an empty stomach."

They headed to the mess hall together, which had become a bit of a habit. When they had retrieved their trays, the two of them found a corner booth in the mess hall that provided some quiet.

"So your father is a pilot." Galen said. 

"Was a pilot. He passed away a couple of years back." Adam answered, staring down at his tray. "He… His partner Harlan said that the ship he was flying ran afoul of smugglers."

"This Harlan… he's got friends in the Empire I take it?"

Adam nodded as he chewed. "He always made sure we were on their good side. Made sure my dad's paperwork was up to date. Took a few low paying supply runs to keep them happy. Did a lot of stuff for Orson Krennic. My dad didn't like it, but I liked it when I was a kid because I got to see all the Imperial freighters up close. Not the big ones like the ones docked when I arrived here. But still..."

"And I guess that's how you found yourself with an interest in space flight and navigation?"

"When I was about ten, I fixed my dad's nav system without any help. He'd been complaining about the system jamming and saying he was halfway across the galaxy when he hadn't even left orbit yet. Turned out when he'd loaded an updated map for some border planet, it copied the coordinates for Corellia onto that planet as well."

"That's quite a thing to gain mastery of at so young an age."

Adam shrugged before taking another bite. "It's just math. That's all the stars are. It's really beautiful math, of course. But that's how you figure it all out. Engines and warp fields, too."

And with that declaration, Adam was off like a shot, explaining and expounding on his theories about star density, and why some stars went to cyclical changes and others did not, and how one could take advantage of these cycles for a gravitational assist for a warp drive. He was talking so fast, Galen wondered with no small amount of amusement if the man himself might be capable of a lightspeed jump just by clinging to the backs of his own words and thoughts.

And just like that, the whole world stopped. Adam's talking, while not uninteresting, faded into the background, laying over the constant glare of the overhead lights, and the omnipresent hum of the air vents. Galen could feel his face ache. He was smiling. Really smiling, teeth and all for the first time since… since before he'd been taken off of Lah'mu at gunpoint, his wife's body already being disposed of by the Death Troopers. And his daughter left to fend for herself in the company of a zealot. Listening to Adam talk, he felt… genuine excitement again. The kind he had only ever felt before with Orson back in the old days in the Republican Futures Program. And when he had met Lyra. When they were all young and ambitious, and summarily blind to all else that moved around them.

"What?" Adam said, his face drawing up in a frown.

Galen realized he had probably been asked a question while he'd been lost in his own little world of memory.

"Sorry." he muttered with a shake of his head. "Just an old man musing."

"You're not that old." Adam argued.

"Ah." Galen laughed a little. "Perhaps not in years, but I daresay time does not pass the same for all people."

"But… time is- oh." he drew up short. "This… you're using a metaphor. I… sorry I don't always catch them. It's-"

"It's alright. I shouldn't be so dramatic."

"You just mean that you've… you've had a hard life. Have your… your work hasn't always gone as planned I take it? It's still so experimental it doesn't go to wonder. And obtaining the samples must be really difficult."

Galen sadly shook his head, as he stood to discard his mess tray. "No, my…" he paused, measuring his next words very carefully as he was still in a very public place. "My work has always been what I expected it to be." Galen could already feel himself closing back up. Like a flower shrinking from the encroaching cold of night. "There was a time when I was foolish enough to think that the work should be enough. That it was an end unto itself. But I learned my lesson."

Adam's omnipresent considering frown darkened at that. "But-"

"Come, Adam. We'd best go get back to our work. We've both got deadlines to meet."

***

That night, Adam called Harlan up on the video messenger in his room.

"Hey Adam!" his old friend's face appeared on the screen wearing a jaunty smile. "What have you been up to? Has Orson found you a nice place to work?"

"Uh… yeah. Yeah he… uh… I can't really tell you a lot about what I'm doing. It's… it's sort of secret."

"Secret..." The smile dimmed.

"Yeah like… military secret."

Harlan's grin faded entirely at that. "I thought I told that asshole to put you someplace safe. Where you could work on your freighters like you've always wanted to."

"No, no… I'm… I am working on that. Or… well, something like that. Something better! I'm building new engines for the Empire's fleet. And new nav systems too."

Harlan's expression softened a fraction. "You always were good at that sort of thing. Rebuilt your dad's engines twice with nothing but spit and spare parts."

"I'd… I didn't spit in them though." Adam replied with an earnest frown. "It would fry the wires."

"I know, Adam. It's an expression."

"Oh. Right." he said, hanging his head a little. "I've learned some new ones. The head of research here uses them all the time."

"You like working with him?"

"Yeah, I really do. He's… he's scattered. Like something else is always on his mind. But when you talk to him it's like it's all in there."

"Smart people are like that sometimes." Harlan said with a shrug. "I once knew a cargo pilot who was terrible about filling out paperwork. But by golly if he couldn't recite all his freighter's specs for you, and rattle off exactly what was in his cargo hold down to the last bolt."

"Yeah… I-"

Before Adam could say anything else the door to his dormitory chimed.

"One second, Harlan. There's… there's someone here to see me."

"Take your time."

Adam muted the conversation and answered the door. Galen Erso stood on the other side.

"Hello, Adam. Is this a bad time?"

"Hi, Dr. Erso. No, I was just talking to my friend Harlan." He jerked a thumb at the communicator behind him. "The one that worked with my dad. I just thought I'd been here a few weeks and I should check in. Did you need something?"

"Nothing other than a walking companion. The weather is due to clear in the next half hour." he replied. "On clear nights I like to go stargazing, since it's such a rare luxury here. But if you're busy-"

"No! No, I… let me say goodbye to Harlan and I'll be right out."

Adam closed the door and returned to the video screen. "That was my boss. The planet we're on is overcast and stormy most of the time, but on clear nights, he likes to go stargazing. So I'm going to go with him."

"Well, don't let me keep you. It's good to hear from you Adam. You take care."

"I will. You too, Harlan."

The video screen went dark. Adam tugged on his jacket and a sturdy pair of shoes and went to meet Galen.

***


	3. The Lover Who Counts the Stars

***

"Each night the moon kisses secretly the lover who counts the stars."

***

The nigh persistent storms of Eadu had in fact abated, allowing the planet's sun to paint the clouds a brilliant, twilit purple. The glassy black rocks were slick with rain, and they fairly glowed in the last of the vivid, dying daylight. Adam lost his footing at least twice because he couldn't stop staring up at the world around him. Already twinkling stars were starting to show through the fading violet haze. It was hard to believe this was the same shrouded gray planet he had landed on a few weeks ago.

Adam was also distracted by the rather technical conversation he and Galen were carrying on about the nature of the Eadu system's star. Adam was no stranger to highly advanced scientific discourse about stars and planets. It was just that usually the conversation was wholly one sided. More like he was just talking at the person, usually Harlan or his father when he was alive. But with Galen, the exercise was much more lively. They traded questions, solutions, and hypotheses. And Galen could not only keep up with Adam's exuberant chatter, but a few times he would actually challenge the thoughts he put forward. 

It was a thrilling, new experience for Adam. One that had a pleasant, warm sensation blossoming in his chest.

"Just over this ridge is my favorite spot for stargazing." Galen explained as they picked their way over the jagged rocks, heading down the other side of the rise. "It puts the light pollution from the research station behind us, but has us facing southeast into the darkest part of the sky."

As they settled down on a flat outcropping some twenty feet down from the ridgeline, Adam piped up. 

"Thank you for talking about stars with me, Dr. Erso."

Galen smiled rather strangely. "You don't need to thank me. And you don't have to call me Dr. Erso either. Especially since we're off the clock and out of the station. And we're colleagues, besides. Galen is fine."

"Galen." Adam worried the name around in his mouth a moment. "It's just… I realized I've never had anyone to share my ideas and theories with. I… I love stars. I'd explore the whole galaxy if I could. But I never could really… talk to anyone about it. Harlan and my dad… they traveled. They knew how to navigate in deep space and at warp speed, and where to go and what to avoid but… It was just a job. They never really talked back. And my classmates at the academy were really only interested in what they were immediately studying… they wanted the grades. Not the actual knowledge."

Galen nodded sagely but said nothing else.

"Do… do you ever talk about this stuff with anyone?" Adam asked. 

Galen lifted one shoulder in a heavy shrug. "Not really. My other colleagues would rather discuss different matters. Politics and such. Much like your classmates, their research is their job… at least in their eyes. I don't think they get the same sort of fulfillment out of it as I do. And besides, they all have families."

"You're not married or anything?"

Galen held his breath for a split second before sighing softly. "I was. To a fellow scientist."

"What happened?"

"She died many years back." Galen replied, fingering the cuff of his jacket. 

Adam watched the shadows gather in Galen's face. He suddenly looked much older than he actually was. A trick of the light, he reasoned. No one could age suddenly. And yet, Adam could feel the weight of years creaking down onto his colleague's shoulders. 

"I'm sorry." Adam whispered. "I… I didn't mean to make you sad. I was trying to tell you I was grateful."

Galen smiled again, his eyes shining despite the gloom. "You succeeded, Adam. I've missed having someone to talk to. About work. About ideas. About the stars. Speaking of which…" he craned his head back. "It looks like the clouds are dissipating right on schedule."

Sure enough, as they had been talking, the volatile atmosphere of Eadu sent the clouds scrolling back leaving nothing but a diamond-studded black expanse overhead.

"Wow." Adam sighed, a smile blossoming on his face as he surveyed the twinkling host. "It's strange not knowing the names from here. I know the positions of all the major stars visible from Corellia."

"Sometime I should take you up to the observatory. I've only been a few times. While I'm sure it would be enthralling to examine the skies through a telescope, I can never resist the promise of a walk, unassailed by rain. But here… I know some of them. Even if they don't have stories to go with them like they did on Grange." Galen said. He scooted a little closer to Adam so that when he pointed Adam could look straight down the back of his hand. "Let's see… do you see the one low on the horizon there? Very bright?"

Adam craned for a look and then nodded. 

"That is the Zariah star system. Not our closest neighbor, but nearer than most and it's the brightest star in the sky of this hemisphere. And if you follow straight up from it… do you see that next brightest star?"

"Yes." 

"Stare at it a moment, and you should see it's actually a cluster of three stars."

"I see it!" Adam said excitedly after a moment's staring.

"Tucanae, Tasius, and Eta Toriga. All uninhabited so far. Though there's talk of the Empire terraforming a few of their planets."

"I would love to fly there when they do."

"Why did you choose to go into navigation and flight rather than theoretical or practical astronomy?" Galen asked, propping himself up on an elbow. "You clearly have a gift for both."

It was Adam's turn to shrug. "Routine. I like working on ships because I know what to expect from them. And well… it's like you were saying earlier. Everything's just math and that's especially true with navigation. No surprises. If there are surprises, your math's bad. Simple. Plus… well, all the astronomy students did at the academy was squint through telescopes and shuffle through charts. They never saw the need to actually go see any of the stars they were studying. But if I study navigation? I get to do both!"

Adam glanced over and realized that Galen wasn't staring up at the stars. In fact, he hadn't looked at the stars at all save to name a few of their number. His eyes were fixed on Adam's upturned face, and the realization made something flutter pleasantly in his gut.

"Can you name some of the other stars, Galen?" Adam asked, feeling heat creeping into his cheeks.

"Of course!" Galen said pointing up. Find that cluster of three I pointed out to you. See them?"

"Yeah."

"Look a few degrees up and to the right. There's a dim red star. That's Adraesla. The-"

He stopped dead as Adam shifted closer, leaning so that his eyes could look straight down the line of Galen's finger. He settled against his shoulder, looking first where he was pointing, and then with no small amount of difficulty, looking up into Galen's eyes.

"Do you see it?" Galen asked, his voice rough and shaky.

"Yes, but I don't want to look right now." Adam replied, chewing on his lower lip. "I think I want to kiss you instead."

Galen laid his hand on the side of Adam's face, thumbing his cheekbone before leaning down for a gentle kiss. Adam's mouth was soft under his, but clearly expectant and eager. His lips parted easily as Galen gently licked into his mouth. 

A fine tremor shivered through Adam's body, making Galen pull back a fraction. "Have I overstepped myself.'

Adam shook his head, letting himself pool closer to Galen. "Though I imagine this is frowned upon?"

"In the more well traveled Imperial circles, yes." Galen answered, wrapping his arm around Adam, but trying not to crowd him. He was gratified when he burrowed closer. "But there's not much traffic out here, and honestly as long as it doesn't interfere with the work, Krennic tends to turn a blind eye."

"Even to you?"

"Well… we best not do this in front of him."

Adam smiled. "Thank you for bringing me out here."

"Thank you for joining me. It's… well it's like I said. It's been a long time since I've had a companion I could talk to about what makes the stars burn."

"And kiss?"

"That too." Galen replied, leaning down to capture Adam's soft lips again. He reveled in the way the younger man would relax under his attention. He had a feeling that it was a rare thing for both of them, and if that was the case, they should enjoy it while they could. Just like stargazing on Eadu, it was not a thing prone to last forever.

***

"G- Dr. Erso?" Adam called, barely catching the slip in time. It had become so easy to be familiar with him in the days following their stargazing excursion. "There's an equation missing in this report. That or maybe I'm misunderstanding something? It's the formula for the energy transfer between lattice points 36 and 37 in specimen B."

"Oh, I must've forgotten to include it." Galen said, waving his hand vaguely in Adam's direction. "You can find it in the archive in my desk cabinet. It's probably in the research records from when I worked on Coruscant."

Adam groaned inwardly and went to look. Galen's desk was at least somewhat tidy and organized, and strangely free of personal effects. No pictures of family. No awards or memorabilia. Just piles and piles, and drawers and drawers of equations and incomplete notes.

Adam found the research records he needed buried in the bottom drawer. When he cracked open the binder, he was shocked by what he saw. It contained line after line and page after page of meticulously written equations, each broken out into steps and explained using proofs. Nothing was missing. All the information was not only there, but very thoughtfully organized. At first Adam wondered if it might not be Galen's work at all. Perhaps a classmate or colleague back on Coruscant, but it was unmistakably his handwriting.

And then all at once, Adam could see it clearly. Galen wasn't just in a rush, or overwhelmed by the data. And he wasn't habitually forgetful. He was doing this on purpose. He was specifically leaving the more esoteric minutia out. Dropping steps in equations. Things that were necessary, but also were things only Galen understood.

It was an act, Adam realized. Galen Erso was hiding something. Or purposefully trying to slow the project down.

Adam's mind raced to a fevered pace, making his hands shake even as he gripped the binder tighter. He wouldn't be able to keep this a secret. Not from Galen at least… and not for long. He would need to ask him what this was about and specifically who he was hiding this information from. But not where anyone else might hear him. He didn't know who could be trusted and perhaps the best bet was no one. Maybe another walk up on the ridge? But that would mean waiting for the next clear night. Could he wait that long?

"Everything alright?" Galen had appeared at his elbow making him jump.

"Y-yes I'm alright. I found the equation. I've just got to find the missing step."

"I apologize for my lack of order." Galen said contritely.

Adam tried his best for a nonchalant shrug, though he kept his body angled away so that Galen couldn't see his face."It's fine. You knew where to find it. Hey, um...Dr. Erso? W-when is the next clear night? I'd like to go stargazing again."

The smile that split Galen's face could not have been more genuine and it made Adam's insides ache. "You hardly need use that as an excuse if you want to spend more time together."

"No, I know. I just… it's like you said when I first arrived. I miss spending time outside." That was an easy fib to tell, since it was partially true.

"I believe I saw in the weather report that we should have clear weather tomorrow night."

"Okay… do you mind?"

"Not at all." Galen smiled at him, his honey colored eyes full of mirth as he turned back to his work.

Adam breathed an inward sigh of relief, even as he began steeling himself for the inevitable confrontation. Galen didn't suspect anything. Which meant he wouldn't act weird around the other engineers. So Adam could talk to him tomorrow night about whatever it was Galen was guarding with his incomplete equations.

***

Galen buzzed the door just as Adam was pulling on his jacket.

"It looks like we may be out of luck for stars." Galen said morosely. "The bank of clouds over the station is being stubborn."

"Could we still walk?" Adam asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth a little too quickly. "I just… I want to stretch my legs."

"Of course. It's not rainy." Galen replied with a smile as they headed down the hall together. "Although… although we could go up and see the observatory. It's cloudy, sure, but they have a holographic display thats-"

"I… maybe later. After we walk for a bit." Adam hoped he didn't sound too desperate, but there wasn't any real way to know. "I just want to stretch my legs."

The ghost of a curious frown flickered across Galen's features, but was gone before it ever arrived. "Of course. Whatever you need, Adam."

They made their way out of the station and halfway up the ridge more or less in silence. The gray clouds clung to the rock faces with misty claws, leaving the two of them to pick their way across the rough terrain in a hazy gray gloaming.

"Sorry this wasn't as lovely as the other night." Galen said, a note of true regret coloring his words. "But you were right. It is nice to get out of-"

"No… no, Galen stop." Adam cut him off. He stopped where he stood, totally unable to continue the facade.

Galen turned his brow puckered in confusion at the tension in his words. "What is it, Adam?"

Adam glanced down at the research station, wondering if they could see or hear them even as far away as they were. If there might be a chance that-

"Adam, if you're upset about my advances when we were out the other night, I… I want to assure you that... " He puffed out his lips. "I don't know… I wasn't being flippant? That I-"

It was Adam's turn to frown. "What? No! I… No no no…" he started to pace. He could already feel his thoughts getting too frenetic and full of static for him to ever have a prayer of forming them into anything resembling a coherent sentence.

Galen seemed to understand what was happening. His body language was not unlike his reaction to Krennic's shouting on the docking bay. Hunched, with a slight rocking motion. Galen helped Adam to perch himself securely on a little rock shelf. "It's alright. Take all the time you need. I'm a patient man. Or if you want, we can go back to the station."

Adam firmly shook his head. "No… no, I'll be alright." he said shakily. "I dunno how long you'll feel like being patient with me though. Especially if it starts raining on us. But… I need to talk to you."

The corner of Galen's mouth pulled in a smirk. "Adam, I've been working on the same problem… the same batch of crystals even, for nearly two decades. Believe me when I tell you that I'm patient."

"But… but that's just it." Adam said, his eyes flickering up to Galen's face in his best attempt at a pointed look. Even in the dim light, his blue eyes seemed to glow. "You… you're doing everything the long way. All your calculations. All your formulas. They're… they're like taking the long way around. And you leave steps out. Important steps. You… your math wasn't like that before. I saw some of your old notes? It was like someone else's math, but it was your handwriting."

Galen didn't reply right away. "Well, I'm getting old, Adam." he said at last, with a heavy shrug. "My mind is not what it used to be." He didn't look at Adam while he spoke.

Adam shook his head. "No. You're… you're doing this deliberately. Like… you're wanting to slow us down. And what I wanted to ask you was why? You're… you're hiding something. And I don't know why you're hiding it from me. Or you don't want me to figure something out. I'm… I'm not like those assholes back at the Applied Science Academy who would steal other people's work. I… I just want to do my job- I-" He stopped himself from saying more, fearing that his words would become just as jumbled as his thoughts.

Galen was silent again for a long time, worrying at his thumbnail with his teeth. So long that Adam felt certain at least twice that he wasn't going to answer at all. But, by nearly biting his tongue in two, he managed to wait out an answer.

Finally, Galen reached out a hand and clasped Adam firmly by the shoulders. "I am hiding something." his voice was low, almost obscured by the wind. "But… not from you. Not out of malice… I…" He sighed, running a hand through his silvering hair. "This project we are working on is a weapon, as I told you from the start. But it isn't a cannon, or a laser. It's much more than that." Galen said. " This is a weapon on a scale no one has ever seen before. A planet killer."

"You… you mean it can just poof! Wipe out everyone on the surface of a planet?"

"Worse than that." Galen said, looking utterly stricken. "If my calculations, no matter how circuitous, are correct, the energy that this weapon will be able to channel through the crystals will be able to shatter a planet into pieces. Nothing would survive. And the Empire wants to use this weapon to cinch its hold on the galaxy once and for all. The Rebels wouldn't stand a chance. He'd shatter their planets one by one until they finally capitulated."

Adam swallowed hard. "So… you're… you're stalling."

"Yes. While I come up with a solution."

"A… solution?"

"A way to stop it."

"Why don't you… just leave?"

Galen shook his head. "I did leave. I left all this behind me once and made a home on a very remote world at the edge of Imperial space. Krennic came to find me. Told me that the work had stalled and I needed to come back. That was 16 years ago… after they killed my wife and most likely my daughter as well."

Adam silently reeled at the revelation. The whole conversation had sent so many disparate pieces careening into place. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, wanting to speak but at a complete loss as to what to say. Finally the only sensible thing to say came to him.

"What's your plan?" he asked calmly.

"What?"

"What's your plan?" Adam repeated, standing once more to pace, though this time with a renewed sense of purpose. "You said you're delaying while you think of a way to stop it. Have you thought of anything?"

Galen's mouth thinned. "I've thought of a few scenarios that involve engineering a weakness into the weapon itself. Something that could be exploited by the Rebels. There are a few viable options. But the problem with that plan is that the flaw would have to be so well concealed as to not draw suspicion from Krennic and his superiors. And that I would mean that I would somehow have to get the plans for the weapon into the hands of the Rebel Alliance. Or at least get a message to them. And from here, that is impossible."

Adam nodded, eyes flickering back and forth as his thoughts raced. He felt calmer now, he realized. Now that he understood what was happening everything made very clear and crystalline sense. This was a problem. Just like any other problem. And it had a solution. Galen just hadn't thought of it yet.

Suddenly, a loud thrumming sounded from below as one of the Imperial freighters lifted off from the loading dock.

"What about smuggling a message out on one of those?" Adam suggested as they watched the ship's flight path until it was lost to the haze of the clouds.

"I've considered that. But the pilot would have to know what they were carrying. We couldn't just sneak it on board. Because they would have to make the rendezvous with the Rebels." Galen replied. "And I can't go to the Rebels for an infiltrator. And it would be too risky to have a Rebel impersonate an Imperial pilot anyway. Especially on this station. And that would be if I even had a point of contact with the Rebellion, which I don't. All my off-world communications are watched very closely by Krennic."

"I'm starting to like him less and less." Adam grumbled.

"The threat of wanton genocide does certainly color one's perception." Galen replied grimly. "But unless you happen to know some Imperial pilots who want to become traitors, I-"

"I do actually." Adam said, his gaze going momentarily vague with recollection.

"How." It was barely a question and more an exclamation of incredulity.

"There's… there's this boy I grew up with. He was a few years older than me. He trained to be a pilot and flew out of the same station as my dad. We were friends growing up, but Harlan heard him saying some very… anti-Imperial things and we weren't allowed to play together anymore. But somehow after flight school, he got assigned to fly freighters for the Empire. When he'd dock on our station, he'd let me come on board and look at the nav gear, and check out the engines. He always had this one rotor that would stick and-"

"And you think he might help me?" Galen cut him off not unkindly.

"He might."

"Can you contact him?"

"I think so. I'll have to find a way to get a secure line. But they aren't watching me so…"

"What's his name?"

"What?"

"The pilot. What's his name?"

"Oh. Bodhi Rook."

"Bodhi Rook." he repeated softly. Galen smiled then, and Adam suddenly realized that he'd never truly seen him smile. Galen had a wonderful smile. There was something rough, and real at the edges of it that made all the fluttery feelings blossom again in Adam's stomach.

"I'd like to kiss you again." Adam said, the words falling out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

"I'd like that." Galen said softly, turning and leaning in. "I'd like that a lot."

***


	4. Illumination is Eternal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ultimately, the nearly omnipresent rain moved back in and chased them in off the ridge. They both arrived at Adam's room soaked to the skin and laughing like children. It was late and the halls were deserted so they lingered a moment as Adam fished for his card key in his pockets. 
> 
> "I've never heard you laugh." Adam remarked.
> 
> "It's something I've done precious little of these past years." Galen sighed, letting his hand find a resting place on Adam's hip.
> 
> "Thank you." Adam said awkwardly as he slipped the card into the console by the door. "For the walk."
> 
> "For nothing besides the walk?" Galen teased, an uncharacteristic smile painted on his lips. 
> 
> "I'd… I'd like to do all of that again. And…" he halted, eyes darting down the empty corridors as the door slid open. "And some of it again now?" He was unsure how much he was allowed to say aloud, or who might be listening, and it made the earnest request jumble in his brain. Finally he just settled for pulling Galen by the shirt sleeve into his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are at the last chapter! Please be warned that this one is NSFW. 
> 
> I am overwhelmed at the positive outpouring for this fic and this pairing. I really didn't expect it to have an audience at all, so I'm so thankful for the kudos and for the kind words in all your comments. Thank you all so so so much!
> 
> So... this pairing needs a name, yeah? Like Adam/Nigel is SpaceDogs, and Adam/Elias is Basic Chickens? Anybody got any ideas?
> 
> Anyway, thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart! Come follow me on Tumblr at littlethingwithfeathers if you'd like to squee about Hannibal some more. Much love!

"Listen my love, illumination is eternal. Now is always evolving. As there are billions of stars, there are billions of steps. As there are billions of souls, there are billions of ways to grow."

***

Ultimately, the nearly omnipresent rain moved back in and chased them in off the ridge. They both arrived at Adam's room soaked to the skin and laughing like children. It was late and the halls were deserted so they lingered a moment as Adam fished for his card key in his pockets. 

"I've never heard you laugh." Adam remarked.

"It's something I've done precious little of these past years." Galen sighed, letting his hand find a resting place on Adam's hip.

"Thank you." Adam said awkwardly as he slipped the card into the console by the door. "For the walk."

"For nothing besides the walk?" Galen teased, an uncharacteristic smile painted on his lips. 

"I'd… I'd like to do all of that again. And…" he halted, eyes darting down the empty corridors as the door slid open. "And some of it again now?" He was unsure how much he was allowed to say aloud, or who might be listening, and it made the earnest request jumble in his brain. Finally he just settled for pulling Galen by the shirt sleeve into his apartment.

Galen crowded into the small compartment with Adam and as soon as the lock hummed shut, their lips were locked together again. Their mouths were hot and pliant in contrast to their cold, heavy clothes. Adam made a small noise high in his throat that Galen wasn't quite sure how to interpret. He broke the kiss even as he pulled him a little closer. 

"What is it, darling?" he asked.

"Its… it's just these wet clothes are… they're really uncomfortable to me." he said, his expression a little guilty. "I… I want to get out of them, but I don't want to stop what we're doing."

Galen nodded, tucking one hand just under Adam's ear and thumbing along the arch of his jaw. "You could change and meet me in my quarters. I should probably change out of these clothes as well. And I've got a bottle of daranu that I've been looking for an excuse to open."

"And… we can pick up where I made us leave off?" Adam said, hope making his eyes sparkle even in the dull artificial light.

Galen's smile spread to show his teeth. "Yes. I'll see you in a little while."

Adam swallowed hard and nodded as Galen saw himself out.

***

When he was finally in dry clothes that didn't stick and chafe in awkward places, Adam made his way up to Galen's quarters. He knocked and the door slid open allowing Adam to step inside. As a senior scientist, Galen had a much more expansive room than the rest of the recruits. It even had its own private bath by the looks of it. 

Galen had just finished changing when Adam arrived. Adam blinked hard for a moment when he saw him. Galen wasn't wearing his Imperial Scientist uniform, and it dawned on Adam that he'd never seen the man out of it. It was as if in his gray pants and cream tunic he was a wholly different person. His hair, which he normally kept slicked back out of his face fell down across his honey brown eyes in a damp unkempt fringe. All in all he seemed softer and less guarded than before.

"Hello." Galen greeted with a smile. "I never asked if you wanted your daranu over ice or not."

"Either is fine, I guess. I've never tried it before." Adam said, toeing off his shoes by the door to join Galen's in a neat little line.

Before Galen could make it to the liquor cabinet, Adam crossed to him and kissed him. He moaned softly against Adam's lips, and it was Adam's turn to be uncertain. "I'm sorry… was that what you wanted?" he asked "I… I forget to try and look for-"

Galen silenced him with another quick kiss. "I want nothing more in the whole universe."

Adam let his head fall to rest on Galen's shoulder. "I… I wondered if you wanted… y'know. More."

"Do you?" Galen asked, a pleasantly amused smile playing across his face as he rocked the two of them together.

Adam nodded, momentarily fascinated by the texture of Galen's tunic. It was soft and finely woven. Not at all like his heavy coarse uniform jacket. Though the feel of his body beneath made both seem wonderful. Adam let his hands wander, feeling Galen's frame through the thin fabric. He wanted to feel the weight of him. To hold him close and to be held.

Adam slowly slid down to the bed, pulling Galen to lie beside him. 

"I'm glad you realized the drink was just a pretense." Galen said, curling around Adam as they sank into the mattress.

"It was?"

Galen's smile made his eyes crinkle. "It was indeed."

"What did you want then? Just to kiss me again?"

"Among other things, if you're amiable."

"I am." Adam answered, his hands still trailing along the tunic, as if Galen were a present he was hesitating about unwrapping.

"Then I leave myself in your capable hands." Galen said, stretching out on his back and pulling Adam with him, planting another kiss on his lips as they went. "Besides, I think I owe you for solving my problem."

Adam wasn't listening. He was trailing kisses down the line of Galen's throat, nosing along his jaw. He found himself fascinated by the difference in texture between his beard and the clean shaven skin of his throat. And Adam could feel his pulse jumping under his lips, and he gave it an experimental scrape of his teeth making Galen groan and pull him closer.

As Adam's mouth ventured lower, now nibbling along Galen's collar, his hands began to wander upwards. As his fingers brushed the first bit of bare skin beyond the hem of his shirt, Galen spoke up. "Would you like me to pull this off?" 

Adam nodded. "I would like that. It's soft, but I want to touch you." 

Galen sat up momentarily, pulling the tunic over his head and tossing it to the floor. Adam's hands were on him again in a flash, eager to explore the texture of his silver gray chest hair. Galen pulled him closer, finding his lips with his own again. Adam shed his own shirt a moment later, molding his lithe form against Galen's body. 

"Tell me something, darling." Galen whispered, his voice rough.

"Mm?" Was the only response Adam spared him as he followed his hands with his lips down the plane of Galen's chest.

"Is this the first time you've ever been intimate with someone?"

Adam looked up and shook his head.

"With a man?"

Again he shook his head. "One of the pilots liked me back on Corellia. I… I was never sure how I felt about him sometimes."

Galen let his fingers trail through Adam's short hair. "Do you feel the same way now? With me?"

Adam furtively shook his head before leaning into Galen's touch. "I'm very sure."

Galen smiled again. Adam thought to himself that he could get used to seeing that smile. It suited his face better than the stern, serious expression he always wore around the lab. And he wanted to see how many ways he could kiss that smile off his face.

Adam's hands kept wandering over every inch of exposed skin he could find. Feeling the old calluses on Galen's hands earned from long days toiling the earth. Kneading the muscles that corded his arms. Twining his wiry chest hair through his fingers. And Galen for his part seemed to bask in it. Something long hemmed in had been cut loose at last and he arched into every caress.

And it wasn't long before Adam noticed the bulge growing in Galen's pants. He could feel his own cock thickening and pressing against the confines of his clothes. He let his hands skate lower down his stomach and towards the waistband of his pants, wondering and hoping that this was what Galen had in mind. He was not disappointed when his fingers dipped into the hollow of his hip and Galen's whole body gave an answering roll.

"Can I touch you there?" Adam asked, his voice a little breathy and high as he drew little circles along the plane of Galen's abdomen.

Galen gave a shaky nod. "Only if you'll let me return the favor." he replied, rolling to face him.

Adam let himself be pulled close as his hand slipped into Galen's pants and wrapped around his cock. Galen gasped, his pupils blowing wide as he thrust sharply against Adam's palm.

"Oh…" Galen sighed, dropping his head onto Adam's shoulder. He did little more than cling to him for a moment as Adam experimented with different angles and touches, all the while watching his reaction.

Galen put his thumbs in the waistband of Adam's pants and pulled them down to expose his cock, which stood proudly at attention, the head flushed a bright red. He pressed their lengths together in one encircling hand, letting them slide alongside in a delicious friction. They were both leaking profusely, adding a delicious fevered slickness to the sensation.

Adam gasped as Galen worked him, unable to stop his hips from making tiny abortive thrusts. His lips found Galen's, parting them with an expert stroke of his tongue as he sought to mirror with his tongue the blissful rhythm of Galen's hand around his cock. In turn Galen moaned into his open mouth as he sped up his strokes. His free hand was still wrapped around Adam's shoulders, and he could feel the ecstatic tension rising in his body.

Adam pulled his mouth away. "I'm… You're…" he stammered for words as he rolled against Galen's grip. "You're going to make me come." he said, burying his face in the crook of Galen's throat.

"Me too." Galen panted.

"I don't want it to be over, but… I don't want you to stop."

"This is far from the only time, I promise." Galen assured him as he cradled Adam to him.

Galen held him there against his bare, heaving chest, feeling him pant and writhe as the orgasm welled up. He went rigid and still when he came, arching against Galen's chest and clinging to him for dear life, his eyes wide with barely more than a thin ring of blue around the swollen pupil. The sight of him coming undid Galen as well and he groaned Adam's name as he too spilled over his fist.

"That was amazing." Adam said, brightly, his breath still heavy and labored. "But we've made a mess."

"We can shower when we're both sure we can walk again." Galen said, scratching his clean hand through Adam's hair. 

"Do I need to go back to my room?"

"I'd prefer if you stay here, but I understand if you would rather have your own space to sleep."

Adam shook his head. "I'll go back in the morning." he murmured burrowing his face into the crook of Galen's neck and inhaling the wonderful smell of his skin, now mixed with sweat and the smell of sex. 

"Alright then. Shower?"

"Please. I feel sticky."

***

When they were both clean and dry and tucked into a freshly made bed, Galen fell oddly silent as Adam turned chatty about some research he'd done on one of the stars they'd seen on their last outing. 

"I'm talking too much again, aren't I?" Adam said, looking up at him from where he lay pooled in the bend of his arm. "Talking about things that aren't important or don't interest you."

Galen smiled down at him reassuringly and dropped a kiss onto the crown of his head. "No… I'm just turning something over in my head."

"Like what?"

"Adam. I need to make a deal with you." Galen said, some seriousness leeching into his voice.

"Okay." Adam replied, propping his head up on Galen's chest.

"When I turn over the prototype for this weapon into the hands of Krennic and Tarkin, you must be far away from here."

"Because they'll trace Bodhi Rook to me." Adam said with a slow nod. "They'll know he flew out of the same hangar as my father."

"Exactly. So I will arrange for you to leave Eadu before that time." Galen said. "Possibly with the actual data, though we should arrange for this Rook to drop you off somewhere like Coruscant." 

"Shouldn't you come too? If they trace the pilot to me, they'll trace the flaw to you."

Galen shook his head. "The flaw is well hidden both in the data and the schematics. And if they do discover my sabotage, there will be no backwater planet remote enough to hide me from their wrath."

Adam nodded. "Where should I go after I get to Coruscant?"

"I would suggest remote little world called Lah'mu. It's where my wife Lyra and I had our farm." Galen told him. "You can choose what to do from there. Make a fresh start on that planet if you'd like… everything is still there. Even the droids, though they might need a little maintenance. Or you can sell what you find and go anywhere in the galaxy. The stars will be yours. But we can plan the specifications of your escape some other time."

Adam nodded and then was silent for a long while, his fingers trailing through Galen's chest hair. The texture had captivated him all over again, and he realized it might never get old. And that was certainly fine with him.

"They should be yours too." he said after a long while.

Galen sighed, pulling Adam a little closer. "They will be, in time, I imagine."

***


End file.
